What makes a film Jewish?
This is just one of the questions that the Jewish film festival, this weekend at the Carolina Theater, will explore as it showcases Jewish directors from around the world.
For one, a "Jewish" film can simply be about Jewish people. An example of this approach is found in The Burial Society, a smart, fast-paced, modern movie about crime and self-discovery set against the backdrop of Jewish America. Director Nicholas Racz tells the edgy story of a meek man (who may have just stolen $2 million dollars from the Jewish Mafia) seeking purpose (or perhaps a hideout) in the ancient Jewish society that performs burial rituals. The film explores Jewish values through the teachings of the society's elders, but for the most part, the film stands alone from its Jewishness. Here, Judaism is merely a subculture, a quaint collection of morals and customs tying the characters together.
Other films explore Jewishness through the shared experiences of Jewish people rather than through their beliefs. Almost Peaceful tells the story of the Jewish community of France struggling to recover from the devastating effects of the Nazi regime. Director Michael Deville explores the haunting possibility that modern Judaism has been forever disrupted by the Holocaust. The new Judaism must continually address the needs of a fragmented society.
This raises the question of whether Jewish culture can only be portrayed in the context of adversity. The documentary Strange Fruit, by filmmaker Joel Katz, dissects the history behind a famous anti-lynching anthem. The title song was written by a Jewish composer in the 1930's, Lewis Allen, but brought into the mainstream by the mournful vocals of Billie Holiday. When asked how Jewish he is, Allen's son responds with a quote from his father: "Until the last anti-Semite is dead, I'm Jewish."
Conversely, Miss Eddeme, a submission from Israel, delves into a society where Jews, for once, hold the upper hand. Traditional notions of Jewishness dissolve in the face of the film's harsh portrayal of a Jewish family's treatment of their Arab neighbors. Finally able to set societal norms, the film's Jewish characters cannot seem to let go of their historical status as an oppressed people, seeing every outsider as a threat to their newfound autonomy.
The films showcased by the festival are far from the amateur artistic ventures one might expect. They are high-budget, technologically-advanced, beautifully-orchestrated independent films, each with a poignant message and impeccable telling. The films are carefully selected each year from over a hundred submissions, based not only on artistic quality and the presence of "strong Jewish content," but also for a diversity of themes. Festival director Jim Carl noted that it was important for the festival to detach itself from the notion that all Jewish films are Holocaust films. This broad focus is essential to the festival's main goal, which Carl describes as "making Jewish culture accessible to Jews and non-Jews alike."
Each film offers as much insight into the whole of humanity as into the individual experience of Judaism, demonstrating that the true power of art is in its ability to relate unique scenarios to a broader audience. The Jewish film festival might talk about only a small portion of society, but it speaks to us all.
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